C. African Republic coup leader adds to his roles

Michel Djotodia, the rebel leader who declared himself president over the weekend after his soldiers seized the capital, meets with members of the government armed forces, in Bangui, Central African Republic, Thursday, March 28, 2013. Two months after a power-sharing deal, Djotodia's forces invaded the capital and he declared himself president of the impoverished, but mineral-rich nation for at least the next three years. Some of his colleagues from the Seleka rebel alliance are already saying t
— AP

Michel Djotodia, the rebel leader who declared himself president over the weekend after his soldiers seized the capital, meets with members of the government armed forces, in Bangui, Central African Republic, Thursday, March 28, 2013. Two months after a power-sharing deal, Djotodia's forces invaded the capital and he declared himself president of the impoverished, but mineral-rich nation for at least the next three years. Some of his colleagues from the Seleka rebel alliance are already saying t
/ AP

Rebel soldiers drive past stalls at the central market in Bangui, capital of the Central African Republic, Wednesday, March 27, 2013. Aid groups and the international community on Tuesday condemned widespread looting in Central African Republic's capital, saying that even hospitals had been robbed in the aftermath of a weekend coup that ousted the president of a decade. Efforts to restore order to Bangui, a city of 700,000, came as a rebel leader declared himself the new president and announced — AP

Rebel soldiers drive past stalls at the central market in Bangui, capital of the Central African Republic, Wednesday, March 27, 2013. Aid groups and the international community on Tuesday condemned widespread looting in Central African Republic's capital, saying that even hospitals had been robbed in the aftermath of a weekend coup that ousted the president of a decade. Efforts to restore order to Bangui, a city of 700,000, came as a rebel leader declared himself the new president and announced
/ AP

BANGUI, Central African Republic 
Central African Republic's coup leader solidified his hold on the government Monday after announcing that he will serve as both president and defense minister, while other top posts are going to his fellow rebels.

Michel Djotodia, who led the thousands of rebel fighters who overthrew longtime President Francois Bozize just over a week ago, made the announcement in a decree read late Sunday on state radio.

Not only will Djotodia hold the defense ministry, but his allies also will control the ministries of mines, commerce, communication, and security and public order, according to a decree issued on letterhead that reads "presidency of the republic."

Opposition leader Nicolas Tiangaye remains as prime minister in the new government.

Alex Vines, head of the Africa program at Chatham House, a London-based institute on international affairs, has described the coup as being about "blind ambition" despite the rebels' claims they are seeking greater assistance for their homeland in the deeply impoverished northeast. The rebel alliance that overthrew the government is known as Seleka.

"All the accounts of Seleka are that they have no development vision for CAR. It's exclusively about redistribution of patrimony from having captured the state," Vines said. "There is so little other activity - capturing the state is sort of the main source of revenue."

Thousands of Djotodia's rebels are now residing in the capital, and could be seen Monday riding on pickup trucks that were sponge-painted brown and black in a kind of homemade camouflage with "Seleka" scrawled across the sides.

Others camped out on cots in and around the state-run radio building, and some sat beside a drained swimming pool at the luxury hotel that Djotodia has transformed into his presidential palace.

The rebels are identifiable by the turbans on their heads, though others have taken to wearing clothes they took from the Central African army soldiers who fled in the face of the rebel advance and adorning them with a yellow ribbon on the shoulder.

Djotodia, who first rose to prominence as a rebel leader back in 2006, already had served as defense minister since the formation of an ill-fated national unity government in January.

That agreement had been backed by regional mediators trying to avert a crisis in the country long wracked by coups and rebellions, and was to allow Bozize to remain in office until 2016.

However, the rebels soon accused Bozize of failing to deliver on his promises and ousted him during fierce fighting that also left 13 South African soldiers dead.

Bozize and his family have taken refuge in neighboring Cameroon and are now seeking exile in the tiny West African nation of Benin.

The African Union has suspended Central African Republic's membership, and the United States has urged the country to swiftly organize new elections.

In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said the U.S. was unhappy with developments in Central African Republic.

"We were very concerned that the rebels would take steps to try to take care of governance going forward, and in a manner that was not democratic, that was not transparent. They have done exactly that," Nuland told reporters.